The invention is directed generally to a vessel with one or two pour spouts. In particular, the invention provides a cooking vessel with one pour spout, or two opposing pour spouts, comprising features to permit dispensing of hot or warm liquids from the vessel without the risk of scalding or burning from escaping steam. In addition, the invention provides a cooking vessel with one pour spout, or two opposing pour spouts, comprising features to permit dispensing and draining of contents from the vessel without the use of additional equipment or utensils.
The prior art discloses a variety of cooking vessels with one or two pour spouts to aid in dispensing, draining or straining liquid from contents contained in a vessel during food preparation. In particular, cooking vessels with two pour spouts are often constructed for a specific purpose or cooking technique, such as a flambxc3xa9ing utensil disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,709. The flambxc3xa9ing utensil includes a central supply bowl, two smaller opposing priming bowls with pouring lips attached to a rim of the central supply bowl and an intermediate handle. The priming bowls provide means to ignite and introduce an alcoholic flambxc3xa9ing liquid to the supply bowl and to dispense the flaming liquid onto food.
Other prior art cooking vessels with two pour spouts include pour spouts with a specific configuration to facilitate clean, safe and reliable use, such as the vessel disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,732. This vessel includes opposing pour spouts with a configuration that causes liquid dispensed from the vessel to flow in the shape of a convex-side V. The shape of the flow pattern provides a uniform, non-turbulent flow of liquid contents from the vessel that essentially eliminates unwanted lapping or dripping of liquids onto the exterior surface of the vessel.
Prior art cooking vessels also include various constructions and configurations to enable a vessel to serve as a drainer for removal of liquid and fine particles from contents contained in the vessel or to serve as a strainer for separating fine and coarse food particles. Such vessels include sieve-like configurations, such as the vessel disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,418, wherein a lid of the vessel includes a radial flange that extends from the lid and includes a plurality of perforations. When the lid is attached to the vessel and the perforations are disposed across a pour spout, the lid serves to drain liquid or strain contents from the vessel.
However, none of the prior art cooking vessels described above includes features for handling potentially scalding or burning steam generated by dispensing or pouring hot or warm contents from a vessel. The vessel disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,732 includes dual pour spouts having a configuration that provides a non-turbulent flow of liquids. However, such a pour spout configuration does not provide for steam escaping from the vessel during dispensing of hot or warm contents. In addition, the dual spout prior art vessels described above do not include means such as a securely-fitting lid that would allow a user to dispense contents from the vessel without manually holding the lid securely to the vessel with his or her non-pouring hand.
Thus, there is a need for a cooking vessel with a pour spout comprising features that help direct or divert potentially scalding or burning steam away from a user""s hands during dispensing of hot or warm contents from the vessel. In addition, there is a need for a cooking vessel with a lid that fits securely to the vessel such that a tight seal between the vessel and lid is formed to permit a user to dispense hot or warm contents from the vessel without manually holding the lid to the vessel. Such a vessel and lid combination eliminates or at least reduces the risk of a user burning or scalding his or her non-pouring hand from steam escaping from the vessel during dispensing. In addition, such a vessel and lid combination further comprising sieve-type features or configurations for draining liquid or straining contents from the vessel eliminates the need for additional equipment or cooking utensils, such as a sieve, colander or strainer to drain liquid and/or strain fine particles from contents contained within the vessel. There is also a need for a cooking vessel comprising two opposing pour spouts such that the vessel and lid combination permits a user to dispense hot or warm contents from the vessel with a preferred hand without the need to hold the lid to the vessel during dispensing.
Embodiments of the invention provide a vessel for dispensing contents comprising one or two opposing pour spouts that overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art vessels discussed above.
A first embodiment according to the invention provides a vessel comprising a bottom surface and an upstanding peripheral side wall that extends upward from the bottom surface. The side wall has a diameter and terminates into a rim portion of the vessel. The vessel further comprises two opposing pour spouts joined to the side wall with a lower end of each pour spout positioned at a predetermined distance above the bottom surface. Each of the pour spouts is joined to the side wall at about 180xc2x0 from the other pour spout. Each of the pour spouts has a pouring surface that extends outwardly from and peripherally about the side wall from a point of attachment to the side wall to define a depth. In addition, each of the pour spouts has a plurality of perforations formed integral with the side wall in an area defined by the point of attachment of the pouring surface.
The vessel also comprises a handle joined to the side wall at about 90xc2x0 from each pour spout. The position of the intermediate handle relative to each pour spout essentially forms a 90xc2x0 angle with respect to a vertical center-line of the bottom surface of the vessel. As described in further detail herein, the position of the intermediate handle relative to the position of each pour spout helps direct and divert steam escaping through an open pour spout away from a user""s hand during dispensing of hot or warm contents from the vessel, thereby eliminating or at least substantially reducing the risk of burning or scalding.
In the first embodiment, the side wall of the vessel includes a convex surface and a circular cross-section. However, the convex shape of the vessel is not limiting. In other embodiments of the vessel according to the invention, the side wall may comprise other shapes or configurations as required or desired. In addition, in one embodiment of the vessel according to the invention, the vessel has an opening to provide fluid communication between the interior of the vessel and the pour surface instead of the plurality of perforations.
In the first embodiment, the plurality of perforations includes an array of circle-shaped openings having similar diameters. In other embodiments of the vessel according to the invention, the plurality of perforations may comprise perforations or openings of other geometries, shapes or configurations as required or desired.
The vessel further comprises a removable lid including a top surface, a knob centrally joined to the top surface for grasping the lid, and an annular peripheral flange integral to a perimeter edge of the top surface that extends downwardly for a predetermined distance from the top surface. The peripheral flange is sized and configured such that the side wall of the vessel telescopically receives the peripheral flange when the lid is attached to the vessel. The lid also comprises an annular seating ridge at the intersect of the top surface and the peripheral flange to seat the lid on the rim portion when attached to the vessel.
The lid further comprises a lateral extension extending laterally from the perimeter edge of the top surface to form a flap-type lid extension. The lateral extension is sized and configured such that when the lid is attached to the vessel the lateral extension can align with an upper perimeter rim of either pouring surface to cover an exposed area defined by the upper rim.
When the lid is attached to the vessel, the peripheral flange is positioned flush against an inner perimeter of the rim portion of the vessel. The peripheral flange forms a seal between the lid and the vessel such that the lid remains attached to the vessel during dispensing of contents from the vessel without requiring a user to manually secure or hold the lid to the vessel with his or her non-pouring hand. Even when the vessel is rotated more than 90xc2x0 about a center horizontal axis of the handle, the lid remains attached to the vessel during dispensing without requiring it to be manually secured or held to the vessel. This feature is particularly advantageous when a user is dispensing hot or warm contents from the vessel. Without requiring the user to employ his or her non-pouring hand to hold the lid to the vessel, the risk of burning or scalding from escaping steam is essentially eliminated or at least substantially reduced.
Although the peripheral flange is sized and configured to form a tight seal between the lid and the vessel, the lid is readily adjustable and can be rotatably positioned on the vessel to permit the lateral extension to completely or partially cover the exposed area of either pouring surface as desired or required.
When the lid is attached to the vessel, steam escaping from the open dispensing pour spout is substantially directed or diverted away from the non-dispensing pour spout and the pouring hand of the user. As steam is produced within the vessel, steam generally flows upward toward the lid in a substantially perpendicular orientation. As steam encounters the lid and lateral extension, steam is generally directed toward and through the open pour spout. The 90xc2x0 angle formed with respect to the vertical center-line of the bottom surface of the vessel as a result of the relative positions of the intermediate handle and pour spouts helps direct and divert escaping steam away from the open pour spout and the pouring hand of the user in a substantially smooth and non-turbulent stream. Thus, the position of the intermediate handle relative to the open pour spout eliminates or at least substantially reduces the risk of scalding or burning the user""s hands during dispensing of hot or warm contents from the vessel.
A second embodiment of the vessel according to the invention provides a vessel as described above comprising a single pour spout positioned about 90xc2x0 from the handle.
A third embodiment of the vessel according to the invention provides a vessel as described above comprising a single pour spout positioned about 90xc2x0 from the handle having a pouring surface that extends outwardly from and peripherally about the side wall from a point of attachment to define a depth and an opening below the rim portion of the vessel, the opening providing fluid communication between the interior of the vessel and the pouring surface.
A fourth embodiment of the vessel according to the invention provides a vessel as described above comprising a side wall having an annular shape of about equal diameter between a rim portion and a bottom surface and a circular cross-section. The vessel further comprises two opposing pour spouts attached to the side wall with each pour spout located about 180xc2x0 from the other pour spout. Each pour spout includes a pouring surface comprising two planar surfaces. The planar surfaces extend outwardly from and about the side wall at an angle from a point of attachment to the side wall to define a depth. The planar surfaces eventually merge and terminate into an apex. Each pouring surface includes a concave-shaped pouring lip formed in an upper perimeter rim of each pouring surface. Each pouring surface further includes a perforated area defined by the point of attachment to the side wall of the vessel and comprising a plurality of perforations formed therein.